A group of people walked in from outside the hospital room.

Three men and two women. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Victor Trent led the way. As soon as he entered, he exchanged pleasantries with Alvin Morgan and a member of the Vance Family, then had August Trent give the items they brought to Beta Morgan.

"Joy Young?"

An abrupt voice brought the room to a sudden silence. Drake Trent frowned as he looked at Dawn Miles by the window and called out a name. But she had no reaction, still nibbling on an apple.

The two women standing behind Victor Trent flinched and quickly turned to look. The girl by the window truly did resemble the missing girl in both demeanor and build.

Raine Young felt more than just shock—she was terrified. The girl’s face was an uncanny match for Noelle Young’s, especially her detached eyes, which were practically identical.

Victor Trent gave his son a suspicious glance. Pretending not to recognize Aurora Sinclair, he asked, "Young Lord Morgan, and this is...?"

Alvin Morgan smiled. "She is the Second Miss Sinclair, Aurora Sinclair."

"Ah, so it is Miss Sinclair. I’ve heard so much about you... Raine, haven’t you always said that the Second Miss Sinclair looks just like your younger sister did?" Victor Trent said with a smile, giving Raine Young a pointed look.

She had to suppress the fear and unease in her heart and force a smile. "Master Trent, Miss Sinclair does indeed resemble my late younger sister, Noelle Young."

Dawn Miles froze for a second, then gave a slight nod, showing little reaction.

Seeing this, a dark glint flashed in Victor Trent’s eyes.

’She didn’t even react. It seems she really has lost her memory.’

The smile on Alvin Morgan’s face twisted into a sneer. The warmth drained from his eyes as he said coolly from his sickbed,

"Master Trent, speaking of resemblances, I remember seeing young Norman Trent at the beach last year. He looks remarkably like this lady here. Is he, by any chance, her son?"

The veiled threat in his words made Victor Trent’s expression falter, his smile freezing on his face.

Drake Trent shot Victor Trent a cold glance before interjecting, "Young Lord Morgan, have you been to Syland Province before?"

"I have. The beaches there are beautiful, right, Aurora?"

Dawn nodded, then expertly tossed the well-gnawed apple core into a trash can across the room.

Straightening up, she picked up another tantalizingly fresh apple from the nightstand.

She said calmly, "My mother’s name is Noelle Young..."

Her words made Victor Trent and Derek Vance tense up instantly. Their expressions shifted as their eyes darted over her, sizing her up.

’She hasn’t lost her memory?’

Meanwhile, Raine Young’s fingers clutched her handbag, her body trembling slightly. She struggled to maintain her smile, looking utterly panicked.

Her attendant, Mama Young, quickly stepped in to salvage the situation. "Miss Sinclair, my mistress and Miss Noelle were clan sisters. According to our family tree, that makes you her niece!"

Dawn nodded again, her expression still placid and distant. "I don’t remember her well."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, stopping whatever pleasantries Mama Young had planned right in their tracks.

An awkward silence fell over the room again, broken only by the crisp CRUNCH of her bite into the apple.

Beta Morgan spoke up at the opportune moment. "Master, it’s time for your IV drip." He then gave the guests a polite but firm dismissal.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, though they also felt a strange sense of stifled frustration.

After catching a look from Victor Trent, Raine Young pulled a business card from her purse and hesitantly approached her.

"Aurora, when you have some free time, you should come to your aunt’s for dinner. It would be a great chance for your cousin to meet you, too..."

Dawn took the card with one hand and nodded. "When I have time, I’ll pay a visit."

After both families had left, Dawn looked at the business card in her hand and asked Alvin Morgan, "Is she really my aunt?"

Alvin Morgan plucked the card from her hand, tossed it carelessly into the nearby trash can, and said flatly, "By blood, yes, she is. But the Trent Family is connected to your parents’ deaths."

Dawn’s gaze instantly turned several degrees colder. Alvin Morgan had told her a great deal over the past few days. While she couldn’t remember any of it, her intuition told her he was telling the truth.

"Who was that man who called me Joy Young?"

"Victor Trent’s son."

"Will he be in the competition?"

"He will."

"Hm."

With a final CRUNCH, she finished the last bite of the apple. The core once again sailed through the air in a perfect arc, landing squarely in the trash can.

This time, the trash can wobbled a few times.

***

Elsewhere, the Trent Family was once again blocked by the Warners.

"Lord Warner, what is the meaning of this?" Victor Trent’s face was grim, his ’Power’ slowly beginning to rise.

Enough is enough. Did they really think the Trent Family was a pushover?

Emil Warner, his face wreathed in a friendly smile, said, "Master Trent, it’s a misunderstanding. My grandson’s joke went too far. I’ve brought him to offer his apologies."